


Looking Out For My Girl

by catisacat



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Closeted Lesbian Emily, F/F, Including Flamethrower Guy, Internalized Homophobia, homophobia mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2015-10-22
Packaged: 2018-04-25 23:33:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4981042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catisacat/pseuds/catisacat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emily doesn't want to die living a lie.</p><p>Even if she's kept that lie for as long as she can remember.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Girl's Night, Boy's Night

Jess is so pretty when she sleeps.

Blonde hair loose and wavy, face free of makeup and wearing the most fashionable designer pajamas money can buy.

And so incredibly close.

Emily would never admit it out loud but she was silently delighted when it was decided that the first night at the lodge be divided by gender. The boys had chanted “boy’s night, boy’s night” and did awkward, poorly timed chest bumps until the girls relented.

She didn’t even mind her and Jess being assigned to the somewhat lumpy extra mattress dragged from storage. The sheets were butterfly themed, just like everything in Hannah’s tacky room. Ugh. But they were together and that’s all that mattered.

She looked over Jess’s shoulder. The twins were sandwiching Sam on the main bed, a mess of limbs and hair. Both the twins were total snugglebugs. The second they’d fallen asleep? Bam. Beth’s head was nuzzled into Sam’s neck and Hannah’s face was crushed into her shoulder.

Ashley had curled up on the couch like an oversized cat and was crushing a poor defenseless stuffed animal she’d commandeered from Beth’s room.

Emily looked back to Jess, wishing that she was a snuggler like the rest of the girls.

She felt a pang of guilt knowing she was ‘with’ Mike. She cared about him of course, he’s a totally great guy, but things had been becoming increasingly awkward between the two. He wasn’t the sort of asshole to pressure her into anything but he certainly wasn’t happy that she wasn’t down to… play.

He didn’t understand the reason why though. She did. She wouldn't admit it. But she knew.

She was in a whole room full of the reasons and one was so painfully close.

She stared at Jess’s sleeping form for almost ten minutes before finally scooting herself closer until their faces were inches apart. Emily gently touched their foreheads together and put an arm around her waist, pulling her close. Just like every other sleepover they’d ever had.

Everyone thought she was a sleep cuddler, they’d just never noticed she didn’t do it to anyone but Jess.

Well, almost everyone hadn’t noticed.

As soon as Emily drifted off completely, a carefully manicured hand entwined with her own.

Jess always wondered if it really meant something.


	2. Broken Bones, Broken Hearts

“I’m just looking out for my girl Em.”

The two girls clambered under the bed while everyone else hid themselves away in the closets, leaving Mike standing “alone” in the seemingly empty bedroom.

They giggled wickedly, Emily looking over at Jess’s eyes. Bright even in the dark.

She didn’t really care about Hannah’s crush on Mike but Jess’s enthusiasm to defend her… she’d give anything to see more of that.

Well. Almost anything.

Jess’s plan had gone off without a hitch.

Frankly it was more like it whipped wildly out of control.

“It was just a prank, Han!”

She wished it had stayed just that.

As they waited in the cabin while the sun rose it was dead silent except for the sobbing sounds coming from the other room.

Josh had only allowed Chris and Sam in there with him. When the others had tried to follow the two blondes slammed the door in their face.

A quiet click of the lock had told them they weren’t welcome.

Emily looked around the room: Jess, Mike, Matt, Ashley and herself. All guilty.

Mike and Matt were sulking in a corner. The same corner but they might as well have been standing on opposite sides of the room. Emily could tell there was some sort of man-solidarity there though. Must just be their way of dealing with it.

Ashley had completely separated from everyone, curled up in a chair so tiny that she could almost be mistaken for a throw pillow.

Jess was leaning on her shoulder for a long, long time. Almost hiding in her hair.

After what felt like eons the sobbing in the other room stopped and Josh emerged to talk to the rangers one last time.

As he spoke to them he was diligently flanked by Chris and Sam. Chris’s shirt was wet and crumpled where Josh had been and his eyes looked empty. Sam’s eyes were the opposite, far too alert and aware of everything. Cold. Her hand was on Josh’s shoulder, gently steering him towards the knocking on the door.

The search was going to keep going but they wouldn’t be in contact again unless something turned up.

As they left the others saw Josh’s face for the first time since they’d told him what happened.

His once bright and cheerful eyes now only shot an accusing glare, dripping with venomous blame. He made cold, sharp eye contact with each and every guilty party in the room. Then he looked away pointedly, returning to the other room with his two friends.

Emily heard a small whimper right in her ear followed by Jess running away to another vacant room.

Emily uncurled to follow her but Mike put a hand on her shoulder, “It’s okay babe, I’ll handle this. You’d been through enough.”

And just like that, she felt the last thread of their relationship silently break.

She didn’t even care.

\- - - - -

“Are you fucking serious?!” Emily yelled, slamming her expensive coffee so hard on the table it burst out all over her hand. She ignored the burns on her hand as she glared across the table at Jess and Mike.

It was obvious that their relationship had died at the lodge that night but… but this?

Jess’s hand was gently curled around Mike’s but she was looking away, out the window. Quietly stealing glances at Emily but avoiding eye contact like the plague.

“Look it’s just… I feel like everything changed that night you know? Like… that prank… I just feel like that was a sign it was supposed to end right?” Mike awkwardly choked out, trying to put into words what they’d honestly both been feeling this whole time.

Emily crossed her arms, glaring silently. Waiting for him to squirm some more. If this was how it was going to end she was going to go out on top. She knew if she let him flounder around long enough he’d give her an opening to maneuver a devastating finishing move on him.

“I mean it’s not like things were going well in the first place, Em. It’s not like we were clicking or anything-”

Perfect.

“Oh not clicking, is that what we’re calling it now?” she shot, standing up and causing Jess to jump.

“Shit, no, I mean... you know what I’m saying!”

“No, no, I fucking get it. I wouldn’t sleep with you and you want to take the easy out of this!”

“No, no, Em- just… just listen that prank just… it was to ‘defend’ our relationship right? But look what it caused. That’s some bad mojo.”

“So you hop right into bed with the girl who started it?”

Jess snapped to attention, no longer a bystander in this mounting argument, “And just what is that supposed to mean, Emily?!”

“You fucking know what- I just- It just doesn’t-” she faltered and lapsed into an uncharacteristic lack of words. She had never had Jess look at her so coldly.

Emily had always thought Jess’s eyes were gorgeous. Bright, warm and green like a summer meadow. But right now they were ice cold, like frozen peas. God, she hated peas.

She stuttered awkward for a minute before yelling a simple "fuck you!" and storming out the door.

Jess caught her eye on the way out.

She felt thread breaking again but this time she cared.

She cared so, so much.


	3. Leaving the past, Returning to the future

Emily stared at the lodge in the distance.

Hell knows why Josh wanted to return because she sure didn't.

She felt a sharp pang of guilt, the first of many. It repeated itself as she made eye contact with Matt.

He smiled at her and she returned it, gently giving his arm a squeeze.

She knew it wouldn't last. She knew why.

Matt was sweet, he really was, it only made her feel worse. She tried to play the part of good girlfriend but she failed pretty much constantly. He deserved better.

She'd gotten even more bitter in the past year.

And she wasn't exactly sugar sweet before that.

Or ever.

Her weak veneer cracked when Mike jumped down in front of them, scaring the bejesus out of them. After a short, sharp conversation between the three Emily commanded Matt to carry her bags up to the lodge.

She looked over her shoulder at Mike walking in the opposite direction. She didn’t want this trip to be awkward… She looked back at Matt, knowing HE’D make it awkward if she said she had to talk to Mike in private.

She thought for a minute before Sam’s perky face popped into her mind. Matt was always far too trusting of any situation involving Sam. Who wasn’t? What a perfect little white bread ray of sunshine. Not even hating, who doesn’t like Sam?

There was a short tiff between the two. Emily jabbed hard but honestly deep down she liked that Matt was concerned for her. But it was throwing a wrench into her plan so it had to go.

Matt started heading up to the lodge, carrying her luggage and a bit of grudge.

Emily heading in the opposite direction, towards Mike.

She caught up to him quickly, Mike had a tendency to get distracted by his surroundings and walk a bit slow. She resisted the urge to scare him back but it happened anyways as she dug her claws into his arm.

“Mike, we need to talk.”

He looked mildly terrified but didn’t try to run, “Uh, sure Emily. What’s up?”

“Look I just… this weekend’s already going to be shitty and awkward but… look I’m sorry for what happened at the coffee shop okay?”

He looked a bit wary, wondering if this was some sort of ploy to get back together, “It’s fine Emily you were upset and… well I know how you can be.”

Her face remained calm but her brain was already coming up with a million icy cold jabs to that statement. She did the most painful thing for her: she swallowed her pride.

“Yeah I’m not happy with how I acted. I’m going to try to get Jess alone and tell her too.”

“Good, good. That really upset her, man. No more crazy outbursts. Promise?”

She cringed visibly at that, “Don’t push your luck, Munroe.”

He laughed, patting her shoulder, “Sorry, sorry, no hard feelings.”

“Hug it out, bitch?” she said reaching out her arms and trying to match his humor.

“Hug it out,” he smiled, crouching down a bit to hug her.

Unknowingly, they were being watched.

And Matt was not fucking happy.

“Mike, stay away from my girlfriend,” Matt threatened, stepping up to his ‘friend’ the second they all reached the cabin.

The others stared on surprised at Matt’s sudden accusation. Turns out Mr, Nice Guy had a not so nice side. A jealous side.

Mike tried to retort but a few sentences later Matt had him in an awkward and ineffectual headlock.

“What the hell is wrong with you two?!” Josh yelled, pulling Matt off of him,.

He chastised the two of them like an irritated mother hen for a short time before sending Mike out to some godforsaken cabin in the middle of nowhere with Jess.

Emily crossed her arms, trying to appear nonchalant about Josh’s decision but this was already not going her way. God did she fucking hate it when shit didn’t go her way. Watch, the two lovebirds were going to spend the whole trip there. Augh.

She’d be lucky if she got Jess alone for five minutes.

This got put on the side of her mind pretty quickly when she realized one of her bags was missing.

And it completely left her mind two and half hours later when she and Matt encountered a sobbing Ashley and Chris covered in blood.


	4. Dearly beloved, Dearly departed

Matt and Emily wandered the frozen path after he found the gate to be locked again.

They had to get help but you could cut the tension between them like a knife.

Emily… felt weird for other reasons though. Something felt off about this whole situation. Chris’d deterred her but she had really wanted to get a look at the crime scene.

Not for any morbid reasons, of course. She wouldn’t pretend she was Josh’s number one fan but she had absolutely no desire to see his mangled corpse. In the end that feeling had overtaken her intellectual curiosity but she was regretting that choice more and more.

If she’d looked she might have found something, anything, that could possibly point towards the killer’s identity or even who was next. There was a shed full of clues and she’d just walked away from it.

And where was Jess? Mike? Sam was probably still at the lodge taking one of her fucking legendary baths. So they knew where she was but if she was alone there…

Emily shuddered a bit, picturing Sam defenseless and alone. She didn’t envy the girl.

She saw Matt out of the corner of her eye. He was pretending to not look at her but she could see his eyes flicker to her every now and then.

“Fucking spit it out if you’re gonna say something,” she spat. There was nothing she hated more than judgemental looks and coming from Matt they just hurt more.

“What the hell is it with you and Mike?”

“Nothing, I just apologized to him for like, some shit I’ve said, I don’t know.”

“Why? You want to get back in his good graces, get back together?” he accused, his words cutting her deeper than he knew but in entirely a different way than he thought.

“No! I don’t know why everyone keeps saying that! I don’t want to be with Mike!”

“Well that hug sure said otherwise.”

“I just apologized I didn’t want this weekend to be weird and now you’re MAKING IT WEIRD!” she shouted, causing some birds to take off.

“Me?” Matt gestured to himself, absolutely incredulous, “Josh is dead and I’M the one making it weird?”

“You just…” she paused for a moment.

God this was all so crazy. It was really throwing everything else in perspective for her. Nothing stung more than knowing there was a possibility of her dying while living this… this lie.

She didn’t care about Mike. She cared about Jess.

Matt let her have her silence. The pained look on her face really took him aback. He’d never seen her look so defeated. Not even that time that redhead beat her to the last pair of shoes she’d been coveting at that crazy one hour sale at her favorite store.

“Emily? Are… are you okay?”

“It’s just… you wouldn’t understand okay? Just… don’t worry about me and Mike I don’t want that.”

He contemplated asking if he was what she wanted but decided otherwise.

He had a feeling he didn’t want to know the answer.

He stepped forward regardless, “Look Emily I know something’s going on. I don’t know what but I care about you. You can tell me.”

She looked up at him, her eyes scanning his face for something. Manipulation? Acceptance? She didn’t know what but she kept looking.

The silence grew long and uncomfortable but Matt kept his face operating at optimal levels of understanding looks.

“Whatever it is it’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.” he said, growing a bit nervous. She’d never been the most affectionate, even though he wanted to stay positive he had a feeling this… well it just might be the end of their brief relationship.

He continued while she stood there, wringing her hands, “It’s okay even if you want to end things, Em. We’ll still be friends okay?”

The words stung in his throat but he was never one to prolong the inevitable and damned if she didn’t seem comforted by that. She stopped looking like a kicked puppy and straightened herself up a bit.

After another awkward silence she finally spoke, “I’m a lesbian, Matt.”

He was a bit surprised but managed to retain his composure quickly as she continued, “I… I thought if I just tried to be with guys it’d… I don’t know stop or some shit but… my parents will fucking disown me, Matt. I’m… I’m scared.”

He opened his mouth to say something comforting but the floodgates were open and she just kept going, “All my life they’ve expected the perfect daughter and I’ve been it to a ‘T’ but this? I’ve tried so hard and I just can’t. No matter how great of a guy I just can’t. I mean you’re like the nicest guy on the planet and I still can’t and I’m just…”

He put a hand on her shoulder, temporarily stopping the barrage before the final words fell from her lips, “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize, Em. You can’t control that shit. Granted, I’d rather   
you have been honest up front with that but I also get why you didn’t. We’re still friends and we always will be, okay?”

She nodded, furiously shoving back the urge to cry. Not in sadness, but in relief, “With all this I just… I just didn’t want to die living a lie.”

He pulled her in for a hug, nearly jumping when he felt her hands grab the back of his jacket for dear life. He was used to hugs from her feeling a bit empty and awkward but this… was really the first genuine sign of affection from her.

He smiled before continuing, “Do you want the others to know?”

“I… I don’t know. Honestly? We’ve got bigger shit to worry about. Josh is fucking dead. We’re all in danger… let’s worry about that later, okay?”

Matt let go, nodded, and they kept walking. 

After a short tiff about cramming Emily into the tiny little window, they got into the building.

To their terror the place had already been ransacked, violent words written on all the walls and the cable car inaccessible.

Emily could feel herself cracking, her usually harsh voice becoming more and more unsure, “Matt? What- what are we going to do?”

She looked up at Matt, immediately feeling like the smallest creature in the world.

She could tell he felt that way too.

Her confidence faltered when they started inching along the ledge to get around the building, towards the tower.

Emily wouldn’t say she’s actively scared of heights but she certainly had a healthy fear of dying.

This fucktupled as she started falling forwards.

Normally she found herself shying away from being touched too often by guys but dear god she wanted to cling to Matt’s arm around her waist like a desperate baby koala for the rest of the trip.

“You okay?”

“Uhm, no. Probably never again,” she said, heart making a desperate bid to escape her body, “But like, you should take the lead okay? You’re like… athletic and shit.”

He carefully maneuvered her behind him and they made it the rest of the way around the bend without an issue.

She got nervous as they approached the tower though, “What if it doesn’t work?”

One look at Matt’s face said he was all too aware of that possibility, “... it’ll work.”

They finally spotted the tower just in time to be blinded by the light at the base.

Quickly scampering up it she grabbed a flare gun the second she saw it. Thank god, a fucking weapon!

She was about to gloat about her discovery before remembering all that had happened this night. Just… fuck that. Fuck it all. She quickly handed it over to Matt before turning the power on. Thank GOD it could turn on.

Inside she picked up paper in curiosity, immediately wishing she hadn’t. A missing poster for Beth.

“Sorry you’re still missing too, Beth…” she muttered to herself. She knew they were next too. They’d probably succumb to the same fate as her. She’d probably never see any of the others again, even if this half-baked tower plan worked.

She’d never see Jess again. She’d never even get to apologize.

She fiddled with the dials for a second, eyes brightening when they picked up a signal.


	5. Dizzying heights, Bottomless depths

It was so far down.

Emily dangled there helplessly, scared out of her mind.

Matt had tried to save her, he really did. She’d never forget the look on his face as she fell. Oh god did he make it off the tower before it fell? Twisting so she could stare at the tower looming above her she couldn’t see him.

She was shaken out of her thoughts abruptly when she heard her name, sharp and echoing in the wide, empty mines.

“EMILY!!”

She didn’t even have to look to know but she did, twisting her head and seeing a far too familiar blonde figure standing on a ledge behind her.

“Oh god Jess! Jess!! What the fuck, WHAT THE FUCK!”

Admittedly it wasn’t her most eloquent statement but her hands grasping out towards Jess communicated her message loud and clear: ‘I’m so glad you’re alive but also dear god please help me.’

Jess grabbed onto some wood at the edge of the platform and reached out her, “Quick! Quick! Swing to me!”

Emily cleared her mind, pointedly ignoring the grinding noise coming from the tower above her and started swinging. Jess was getting closer and closer with each swing until Emily felt a firm grip on her wrists.

It was just in time as there was a mighty creaking noise as the tower started coming down, snapping the rope she was dangling from.

The two girls screamed, scrambling to get out of the way as it came crashing down.

A glint caught Emily’s eye as it came down- a sharp jagged piece of metal hurtling towards Jess’s skull.

“MOVE!” she yelled, ramming Jess out of the way like a linebacker. The integrity of Jess’s skull remained sound. However, Emily wasn’t as lucky. It hit her knee instead, slashing it open. She went down like a rock, wailing and getting blood all over her fur cuffs trying to stop the blood.

Jess went down hard too, scraping her hands and unaware of the danger she just dodged. She whipped around, ready to accuse Emily of the worst. She paused, mouth open, looking down at the injured girl before her. A bloody piece of metal lying a few inches away.

Jess wasn’t the brightest bulb in the box but she was far from a moron.

If Emily hadn’t pushed her… well, she didn’t really want to think about the impromptu lobotomy she would have received.

She stood there in shock for a few minutes, partially because of realizing she almost died and partially because shit that was a lot of blood. She snapped to attention, quickly grabbing the lower half of her shirt and ripping off a long piece.

“Hold still,” she said, crouching down next to her injured friend. Quickly and adeptly she wrapped up Emily’s knee.

While she was tying it tightly off to the side of her leg, Emily spoke, “I’m… I’m sorry.”

“What?” Jess said, nearly fucking up the knot as she looked up utterly confused.

“Just… just for everything okay. For being a bitch to you at the coffee shop. It just really fucking hurt when you and Mike went behind my back like that. And everything’s going to hell I just don’t want to die without… I just don’t want…”

She stopped there, bringing her good knee up to her chest. She really hadn’t stopped to think about what to say should she actually find Jess. Between the excitement of the trip and the terror of the psycho hunting them… killing Josh…

Jess remained in silence with her for a few minutes before speaking, “I’m sorry too.. what me and Mike did was pretty fucked up… honestly? It’s made things weird between the two of us. Like, we did this dick thing and it’s not even going well.”

Emily uncurled a bit, “Really?”

“Yeah like, at the cabin. We were all alone, perfect setting once we got the fire going and it just… felt wrong. Like. You’ve been my friend for so many years and I just kinda shit on it for a guy. Your guy.”

“He was never my guy… we wasn’t happy with me and I can’t blame him. Well, I mean I can I’m gorgeous and he got the pleasure of getting to stare at me for extended periods of time. But it wasn’t going to last.”

Jess nodded, “I… I don’t think it’s going to last with us either.”

They sat there in silence, Emily’s heart nearly beating out of her chest. She briefly contemplated telling Jess how she felt right then and there but the timing felt incredibly wrong. Suddenly something hit her though.

“Uhm, why the fuck are you even in the mines?”

“I don’t know, why are YOU in the mines?”


	6. Finding a friend, Losing each other

“So you really don’t know what dragged you down here?” Emily said, wrapping a spare piece of cloth around a stick to make a makeshift torch.

Jess shook her head. She looked and sounded like hell, covered in scratches with such a defeated tone to her voice. Emily felt a bit guilty looking at her now-midriff shirt. She’d needed a bandage but Jess must be freezing now. Well, more freezing. Her coat must still be at the cabin she was dragged from.

As if on cue she shivered, “Whatever it was was tall… and strong… you must think I’m crazy but it wasn’t a person, it wasn’t. I couldn’t get a good look at it but you have to believe me. It wasn’t human.”

Emily was honestly a bit skeptical but there was no way whoever attacked Ashley, Chris and Josh could have gotten her too.

Oh god, Jess probably had no idea about Josh.

“I… I don’t know how long you’ve been down here but… Josh is dead.”

“What?!”

“There’s a psycho on the mountain. I don’t think it was whoev- whatever got you but no matter what? There’s some fucked up shit going on here and I don’t fucking like it.”

“H-how? What happened? Where’s everyone else?”

“The psycho trapped Chris and Ashley and Josh in some sick game. Made Chris choose which one would live. He picked Ashley. Josh got ripped in half by a saw.”

“That’s… that’s so awful, oh my god,” Jess said, curling her arms across her bare midriff. Josh was dead. There was a psycho too? A psycho AND a monster? She shuddered and a matching pair of tears started rolling down her face.

Emily was taken aback, she really wasn’t someone well equipped to deal with this.

They walked in awkward silence for a few minutes before Emily handed Jess the torch.

“Here, hold this for a second,” she said, quickly sliding out of her coat before handing it to the blonde.

“What?”

“You need it more than me, okay?! Just fucking take it. I’ve got a sweater on, you’re going to freeze your ass off,” Emily snipped, starting to walk again.

She didn’t see it but Jess smiled weakly as she pulled on the jacket. It was still warm from Emily wearing it and was a welcome relief from the chilly winds that wound themselves through the mines.  
They walked in silence for a bit. Emily kept stealing glances at Jess now and then to make sure she was keeping up with her small, slow footsteps. She wasn’t sure how much she believed the whole ‘monster’ theory Jess claimed but… she sure did look beat to hell.

“Do you… know anything else about what dragged you off?”

“No, no… it grabbed me from behind, by my head. I couldn’t see anything then it just… dropped me. Then… then I fell more. Mike… Mike came for me.”

“Mike was down here too? Is he still down here?” she sounded a bit excited probably because frankly having a big dude in their party would be in their favor. Neither herself nor Jess was about to win any athletic competitions anytime soon.

Jess looked a bit more weary, “I… don’t know. I saw him. Then I fell more. Down the elevator shaft.”

She pointed at a flat piece of metal and chains off to their side as they walked. Emily walked over, looking up. Crap on a stick how the hell could she have survived that fall?

"Holy shit, you mean you fell the entire way? How are you still alive?"

Jess gave a noncommittal shrug.

God she looked so defeated.

The two girls walked in dead silence for a long time as they wandered the mines.

Jess broke the silence after seemed like forever, "What's that?"

Emily looked where she was pointing. The light was shining off of something on the ground.

Her heart sank as they got closer.

"Hannah's glasses..." Emily mumbled as she picked up the thick black frames.

Her attention turned to the wall. Tally marks.

Looking down again there was an odd piece of wood. With growing horror she picked it up. 'Beth.' A crude cross to commemorate her dead sister.

"Oh fuck, OH FUCK, Jess... They must have fallen... Beth died immediately... Hannah... Hannah didn't."

"She... She was lost in the mines... like us..." Jess said, slowly curling in on herself as her voice grew more strained, "She was lost in the mines and nobody found her."

There was a moment of silence before Jess spoke again, "And nobody's going to find us."

At that Jess collapsed to the ground, curled in a little ball.

Emily fiercely bit her tongue, resisting the urge to snap and yell at Jess for saying what was desperately trying not to think. She couldn't yell at Jess while she was like this. A fair screaming match sure, but not at this broken girl crouched before her.

She carefully sat next to Jess before awkwardly pulling her into a hug. Jess going an arm out immediately, clinging to Emily for dear life. She froze up like a deer in the headlights as Jess began sobbing into her shoulder.

She was so close, like back before everything happened.

Before everything changed.

Emily freed her pinned arm, hugging Jess back as hard as possible.

They say like that for a while, crushing each other while Jess cried.

"It... it's my fault. It's my fault Beth and Hannah are dead..." Jess mumbled into Emily's neck.

"It's... It's nobody's fault. It was a horrible, horrible accident. Nobody could have thought Hannah'd freak and run into the woods never to be seen again. I mean what we did was fucked up but... look it’s just not our fault."

"She was our friend though! We totally betrayed her!!"

“Shh, shh, shh,” Emily said, standing up and taking Jess with her, “Look we have to keep moving, Jess. It’s not safe to just sit here.”

Jess nodded, barely resisting as Emily started leading her down the passageway more.

“Things’ll be okay, okay? I’m Emily, I’m always right and you know it.”

Jess nodded complacently with a smile. She was right, she always did know what to do. Jess nuzzled her head into Emily’s shoulder. She awkwardly reached an arm around her and started carefully stroking her braids until she relaxed a bit.

Jess looked up to her, “Thanks Emily, I feel a bit bett-”

Her words were cut off as a billow of flame and a screech enveloped a nearby passageway.


	7. All together, all apart

Emily ran in a blind panic, fighting the overwhelming urge to go back for Jess.

The guy with the flamethrower had tossed them down separate paths and turns out, yeah, Jess had been 100% correct about the monster.

She hadn't been able to get a good look at it but whatever the fuck it was, it was terrifying.

As it pursued her she tossed obstacles in its way. It didn't massively throw the creature off its stride but it was enough. She could hear it screeching behind her.

Finally she was able to slam a door behind her. She took a moment to breathe which turned out to be a mistake.

There was an almighty cracking noise and Emily screamed as she felt teeth on her shoulder. She escaped again though and a terrifying few minutes of pursuit later she managed to finally permanently evade the creature by zip lining to safety.

She lay in the snow for a second before pushing herself up. The monster was gone. She knew where she was though, mostly because the lodge was always looming over everything.

She looked around cautiously before slowly walking towards it, taking care not to make much noise. Last thing she needed was for the monster to find her again and she doubted stomping around like a moron would help keep that from happening.

She still reached the lodge quickly, relieved to find the others there.

Well most of the others.

She was caught up on the situation and now it was her turn to sound like a whackjob as she tried to convince them that it wasn't all a hoax by Josh.

Mike stepped up enraged, "No Emily! I know this is a stressful situation but it's Josh. All Josh. He's why Jess is fucking dead!"

Jess. How had Emily forgotten about Jess? She was still out there with the monster.

"No, no, no, Mike she's out there."

"Oh now the monster's a she?"

"No! Jess! Jess is out there, in the mines. There... There was this guy..."

As if on cue there was a knock on the door, followed quickly by the strange mountain man introducing himself.

Emily was about to give 'I told you so's all around before Chris proclaimed he was going back for Josh.

They tried to talk him out of it but it didn't stop him. Ashley gave him a goodbye kiss. Emily grimly wondered if their first kiss would also be their last.

She then found herself sandwiching a terrified Ashley between herself and Sam. For the second time today she found herself trying to awkwardly comfort someone. Ashley hand felt so cold and clammy.

Eventually Ashley decided she'd rather wait at the door.

It ended being for the best as she had to quickly open it as four people came barreling at it, led by Chris yelling at her to open the door.

He'd crashed in first, nearly dragging Ashley away from the door. Second came Matt, looking dirty and rough around the edges. Third came the Stranger, shielding someone under his coat. Someone too small to be Josh.

Both Mike and Emily raced to embrace Jess as she was released from the mountain man's custody.

Emily won.

As Jess was crushed in Emily's death grip of a hug Mike nearly stumbled over himself before awkwardly maneuvering to hug his girlfriend from behind.

He got her all to himself as Emily let go to give Matt a death hug too, demanding he tell her how he got of the tower in a muffled voice.

The others were baffled by her decision to go for Jess first.

They weren't given enough time to properly celebrate their reunion as the flamethrower guy started ushering them into the basement. Well, more like shoving.

After they were down there he told them to stay put until dawn. He was going to try to see where the wendigo had taken their friend and then wandered off, muttering to himself about how helpless kids are these days.

To Mike's confusion and dismay, Jess was hanging off Emily's arm instead of his.

Then, to his terror, Ashley started screaming.

"Bit! She's bit! You turn into one if you get bit that's what the flamethrower guy said!" Ashley yelled, pointing at Emily like she was proclaiming her a witch.

Without hesitation Mike raised his gun.

Emily wrenched herself free from Jess, curling up against the wall, "What the hell, Mike?!"

"We can't take chances Emily! This is a safe room and it can't be safe with you in here!"

Emily remained crouched in terror as the others debated. Ashley and Mike seemed determined that she was doomed. Chris just remained in the corner, looking too traumatised to talk. Sam was trying to diffuse the situation- getting her major points in Emily's book- and Matt and Jess were livid Mike had even suggested it.

"Don't you fucking DARE Mike," Matt said, feeling around behind him for a makeshift weapon. He was all too ready to avenge her death if need be.

But this didn't cause him nearly as much pause as Jess briefly leaving the half aware state she'd been trapped in to yell at him, "What is WRONG with you?! These aren't fucking vampires, Michael, we have like, zero proof their bites do anything! The crazy guy said it was caused by cannibalism."

As soon as she'd puffed up Jess deflated. Even though she returned to looking like a broken doll her outburst did the trick. Mike lowered the gun, looking like a kicked puppy.

He walked over to Jess, trying to comfort her but found himself rebuffed. Both by her and the now enraged Emily. Jess refused to even look at him as she carefully grabbed unto Emily like a baby sloth.

In short time Ashley found the information that the bites weren't infectious but it was far too late. The damage was done.

Emily tried to rise up to confront her but was stopped by Jess still clinging to her arm. She was placated as the blonde started to wrap around her more. She'd slap the sit out of Ashley later. The last thing Jess needed right now was more violence.

Mike left them, tail between his legs. All he gave them is that he was going to look for Josh to get the key off him.

They stayed in the lodge


	8. The last calamity, the first peace

They all stood frozen in the lodge entry hall as the creatures flitted around.

Jess’s hand was gripping tightly onto Emily’s, both of them with sheet white knuckles. Emily refused to let them get separated again, nuh uh, not until they were off this godforsaken mountain. Maybe not even then. Maybe never.

In grim thankfulness the two appreciated that the wendigos were significantly more focused on where Sam and Mike were then looking around for others.

Unfortunately, the flamethrower guy still hadn’t returned.

Emily found him a little bit creepy but definitely not a bad guy or anything. I mean, he already saved all of them multiple times. Damn, she would give anything for him to be here. He’d saved her once and she’d gratefully accept him saving her again.

As Sam and Mike danced a deathly ballad with the creatures Emily saw her opportunity.

Still gripping Jess’s hand like a vice she pulled them both out of the lodge and into the cold winter air.

Jess was complacent through all this but seemed hesitant as Emily pulled her into a bush to hide. Ultimately, she opted to cower into her grey sweater rather than try to exit the shrubbery of safety. Besides, now knowing that they can’t see them unless they move? Hiding was by far the best option.

Everyone else filed out, taking similar hiding places. No one was keen on separating again. Matt joined them in their spot although it was more like he was shielding them than hiding himself.

However, nothing could have prepared them for Sam to fly out pursued by a fiery explosion.

They all cringed, there were a few screams of terror of indeterminate origin as the wendigo spirit came screeching out and then silence only perforated by the crackling of the fire.

The lodge was going up like kindling. Frankly the whole thing must have been a massive fire hazard. Emily shuddered to think about what would have happened if they had hesitated and she stayed in there with Jess.

They all slowly crawled out of their hiding places, starting to lump up into a group. They all looked around at each other, looking for signs of what they should do now.

“What tha’ hell did you kids DO?” they heard the stranger yelled as he plodded towards them, hands in the air. He left them alone for not even an hour.

Every head turned to him with a bit of guilty look on their face which quickly turned into one of relief.

Tottering and babbling along behind him was Josh. Shaken, but alive.

He looked around bewildered before settling his eyes on the lodge and becoming a bit more lucid for half a second, “Oh shit… my parents are gonna KILL me.”

Josh found himself crushed into a group hug led by Chris. Granted some people were more enthusiastic about his return than others but none of them wanted to see him dead. Emily and Jess found themselves smushed into his back. He smelled like rotting meat but everyone had opted to ignore that.

With a few grumbles of protest the Stranger was dragged into the group hug too. Damn kids and their touchy feely bullshit.

Suddenly the whirl of the helicopter blades filled the air as it descended on the mountain. It announced to the other rangers that while the building was on fire, they had spotted survivors.

A lot of survivors.

\-----

They had all carefully piled into the helicopter, never being so glad to be off the ground. The further they got from the mountain, the better they felt. Jess giggled weakly when Emily flipped it off as it began to leave their sight.

Emily, Jess, Matt, Mike and Sam were crammed into one. Josh, Chris, Ashley and flamethrower guy were piled into the other one.

Er, Victor Milgram. Who wasn’t exactly happy that Josh had borrowed his name.

It had been a struggle to get him on board but he’d eventually relented at Josh’s promise to get his parents to cordon off the mountain entirely. Plus the threat of the Makkapitew spirit flying around.

He still looked grumpy to be there.

In the other copter Jess was still curled up against Emily’s chest, breathing slowly and trying to calm down. She still refused to look at Mike when he gingerly put a hand on her shoulder. He had come for her but he’d also pointed a gun at Emily with no proof.

Mike took his hand off her, looking out the window.

Jess curled closer to Emily.


	9. Epilogue: Until dawn, until dusk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we've reached the end! I'll probably do more Until Dawn fics in this particular universe though.

It had been three months since their rescue.

The group had ended up closer than ever despite everything. Ashley managed to squirm into Emily's good graces again with enough work. Mike was still working on that himself. Josh was slowly regaining everyone’s trust although he found them carefully monitoring his medicine intake. Last thing they needed was for any more Washingtons to end up dead.

No matter what they really felt like they were bonded for life. For better or for worse. This was magnified not only by their experiences but by the sheer fact absolutely no one believed them.

Well, almost no one. Thankfully Josh’s parents did. They were frankly enraged that no one else believed it. They had closed off the mountain, to the relief of Victor who had to talk them out of going to find any remains of the girls.

Josh's dad was making a movie out of their experiences on the mountain.

There was a mixed consensus on whether that was ghoulish or not but he really wanted to make it and dedicate it to his lost daughters. Grieving can be weird.

Thankfully despite the damage to themselves no one was dead so the police didn't trouble them about it. Just treated them like a bunch of crazies and kicked them out.

They were currently all living together at the Washington summer home. It wasn't far from their normal homes which was comforting. One week after their return they'd got permission from Josh's dad to stay there. He was more than happy to accommodate, feeling immense guilt that his property had caused them all so much pain.

Everyone had their own room except for Jess and Emily. Jess was extremely uncomfortable with being alone, especially at night. During the day if she wasn't hanging off of Emily she was lurking around one of the others.

Dynamics had changed. Emily had come out to all of them shortly after they moved in together. No one had a problem with it, of course. Even more shortly after that Jess had broken up with Mike for Emily. Unlike Matt, Mike had taken his break up a little harder but was trying to remain a good friend to both of them.

No one was quite sure of Chris, Ashley and Josh’s status but they always seemed to end up in the same room at night.

Sam got promoted from group big sister to group mom. She became even more protective, doing things like checking up on everyone before bed. Matt often helped her with this stuff, especially when it came to Emily and Jess.

Victor currently lived in the shed at the edge of the property and had become a weird uncle to the group.

Jess was the most messed up of the survivors. They imagined that since she was suddenly and traumatically dragged off it had the worst effect on her. She was often nonverbal and prone to panic attacks. She'd started seeing Dr. Hill with Josh, the two had actually become quite close due to that.

On this particular night Jess found herself sitting at the edge of the water, staring at the moon.

She jumped when she felt the weight of a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey. How you doing today?”

Jess smiled slightly, putting a hand on Emily's arm, “Good enough.”

Emily moved to sit down next to her, “Better than bad.”

Jess nodded carefully a few times before sliding her hand into Emily’s, leaning on her chest as the moon continued to rise.

Things were hard but Jess knew she’d be okay, she had Emily looking out for her now.


End file.
